Dade County’s annual renewal of service agreements with its complement of area volunteer fire departments was anything but ordinary during Monday night’s specially called meeting of the Dade County Board of Commissioners.
After a 90 minute long round table with respective Fire Chiefs, County attorney Robin Rodgers was tasked with editing specific portions of the previously written contract out, often at the request of West Brow Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tim Sharp.
The soon to be revised agreement should be approved by commissioners later this month.
“This is probably about the seventh or eighth agreement that I’ve been affiliated with over the years and it’s the first time that I recall all of us actually sitting around a table and pounding out something we could all agree on,” said Dade County Executive Don Townsend afterward.
Townsend attributed much of the questions due to the recent creation of Station #4, formerly known as North Dade and the county’s action plan for the troubled department. “I think some of the chiefs were a little apprehensive about how it took place, but I think everyone is on the same page now,” said Townsend.
Highlights of the agreement include $24,000 in annual payments from Dade County to each volunteer fire department, with the county shouldering required insurance for related buildings and equipment.
Some of the objections to the proposed service contract from the fire chiefs in attendance were vague and less than specific language in the agreement itself and eligibility requirements for volunteer firefighters.
Townsend says with the dwindling numbers of available volunteer firefighters, it may be time to incentivize more young adults around Dade County to bolster the ranks of volunteer fire departments.
By Vince Lennon